Scooter with rear swivel wheel

ABSTRACT

A personal mobility vehicle or scooter includes a least one swivel caster wheel supported at the rear of the scooter. The scooter has a body that includes a deck and a handlebar assembly. The scooter includes at least one front wheel with the deck extending between the at least one front wheel and the at least one swivel wheel. The scooter can also include an angled rear portion supporting a rear swivel caster wheel such that the pivot axis of the swivel wheel is inclined with respect to the top surface of the deck. Embodiments of the scooter also include a swivel braking assembly configured to apply a braking force to the at least one swivel wheel.

PRIORITY INFORMATION

The present application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/616,121, filed Mar. 27, 2012,entitled “SCOOTER WITH REAR SWIVEL CASTER WHEEL,” the entire contents ofwhich is hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to personal mobilityvehicles and, more specifically, to a scooter having at least one swivelcaster wheel located at the rear portion of the scooter.

2. Description of the Related Art

The use of personal mobility vehicles, such as scooters, has become apopular recreational activity as well as useful means of personaltransportation. Scooters have become popular among many age groups andthere are many different scooter variations and scooter designs. Scooterdesigns have become more compact and convenient, and many scooters havefolding mechanisms allowing the user to easily store or carry thescooter. Conventional scooters have at least two wheels and a steeringmechanism.

Scooters provide useful means of personal transportation and recreation,but due to the limited range of motion of the front and rear wheels, theconventional scooters are limited in the type of movement provided tothe user. Due to the fixed nature of the wheels, conventional scootersdo not allow any side-to-side movement by the user, or any turningmotion of the scooter other than by steering the front wheel in whichthe path of the rear wheel substantially tracks the path of the frontwheel.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

An aspect of the present invention is the realization that allowing theuser to perform a side to side movement or allowing the user to directthe riding board in a sideways arcuate path, is practicable with atwo-wheeled scooter (e.g., a kick-scooter) and would increase the user'senjoyment and providing additional ability for advanced users to performvarious stunts or tricks.

Conventional scooter braking mechanisms can be ineffective and would notfunction effectively with a pivoting or swiveling wheel. Also, using aconventional scooter, a user is only able to propel the scooter forwardby pushing off the ground with one of the user's feet. A user is alsolimited to steering the front wheel of the conventional scooter, andcontinues moving forward in a generally limited direction andorientation. What is needed is an improved and new scooter and brakedesign that provides alternative range of movement to the user.

Preferred embodiments of the personal mobility vehicle are configured toallow a user to propel a caster-wheeled scooter by pushing off of theground with one of the user's feet. A user is able to cause the scooterto travel in a generally linear forward direction by steering the frontwheel with a handlebar assembly configured to change the direction ofthe front wheel. Preferred embodiments of the scooter also generallyinclude at least one swivel caster wheel located on the rear of thescooter, allowing the user to cause the scooter to travel in anon-linear movement or ride the scooter using a side to side motionsimilar to the rear movement of a swivel caster board.

A preferred embodiment of a scooter includes a body comprising a deckand the deck has a substantially planar top surface configured tosupport a user. The scooter includes at least one front wheel supportedby the body and an angled rear portion supported by the body. It alsoincludes a rear swivel wheel assembly comprising: an attachment portioncoupled to the angled rear portion, a rear wheel rotatable about a wheelaxis, and a support portion coupled to the attachment portion andconfigured to support the rear wheel. The support portion is configuredto allow pivoting of the rear wheel relative to the angled rear portionand about a swivel axis. The angled rear portion is inclined withrespect to the top surface of the deck and extends upward at an anglerelative to the top surface of the deck, and the swivel axis is inclinedwith respect to the top surface of the deck.

Another embodiment of a personal mobility vehicle comprises a bodyhaving a deck configured to support a user and the body also comprisingan inclined portion. The vehicle also includes a rear swivel wheelassembly supported by the inclined portion and the rear swivel wheelassembly includes a rear wheel configured to pivot about a swivel axis.The vehicle includes a brake assembly comprising: an attachment portionconfigured to be supported by the body, an actuator portion that isaccessible to the foot of the user, and a braking surface supported bythe brake assembly and configured to apply frictional braking force tothe rear wheel when in contact with the rear wheel at various degrees ofrotation of the rear wheel about the swivel axis. The brake assembly hasan engaged position in which the braking surface is in contact with therear wheel and the brake assembly is movable to the engaged position inresponse to the user acting upon the actuator portion.

Another preferred embodiment is a scooter having at least one swivelcaster wheel mounted on the rear of the scooter, and at least one swivelcaster wheel mounted on the front of the scooter, with the front swivelcaster wheel operably coupled to a steering mechanism available to theuser. In this embodiment, the user is able to cause the scooter totravel in a generally linear forward direction by pushing off of theground with one of the user's feet and directing the front wheel withthe steering mechanism. The user is also able to propel the scooterforward using a side to side motion which causes the scooter to propelforward due to the front and rear swivel caster wheels being mounted atan angle relative to the user support platform.

In this embodiment, the front swivel caster wheel may have a centeringmechanism biasing the caster wheel to a neutral steering position. Aspring action device may be mounted between the caster wheel assemblyand some fixed portion of the user support platform of the scooter toprovide rotational resistance to the caster wheel. In another preferredembodiment, self-centering of the swivel caster assembly may be providedby a torsion spring arrangement, such as a helical torsion spring. Inthese embodiments, the self-centering spring provides resistance topivoting or turning of the swivel caster wheel assembly fork about itsturning axis allowing the caster wheel to be steered by the user. Theself-centering spring mechanism may also provide rotational resistanceand a biasing force on the swivel caster wheel to return the swivelcaster wheel to its neutral steering position when the scooter is beingpropelled by side to side movement by the user to propel the scooter ina forward direction.

Another preferred embodiment is a scooter having at least one swivelcaster wheel mounted on the rear of the scooter, a front wheel operablycoupled to a steering mechanism available to the user, where the scooterincludes a rear braking mechanism which creates a frictional brakingforce upon the rear swivel caster wheel when acted upon by the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention are described below with reference to illustrations of apreferred embodiment, which is intended to illustrate, but not to limit,the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a scooter.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the scooter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the rear portion of the scooter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the swivel caster wheel assembly of thescooter of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an alternate centering spring assembly.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of a swivel casterwheel assembly and rear portion of a scooter with a brake.

FIG. 7 is a top-down view of the underside of a swivel caster wheelassembly and brake mechanism of a scooter.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a swivel wheel brakeassembly.

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of a braking surface of a swivel wheel brakeassembly.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of a scooter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the presenttechnology. While numerous specific embodiments of the presenttechnology will be described in conjunction with the alternativeembodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limitthe present technology to these embodiments. Instead, these describedembodiments of the present technology are intended to coveralternatives, modifications and equivalents. Furthermore, in thefollowing detailed numerous specific details are set forth in order toprovide a thorough understanding of the present technology. However, itwill be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that embodimentsmay be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well known methods, procedures, components, compositions and mechanismshave not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscureaspects of embodiments of the present technology.

FIG. 1 shows a scooter 10 having certain features, aspects andadvantages of the present disclosure. The depicted embodiment includes ascooter body 20, which includes a deck 22 and a handlebar assembly 24.Preferably, the upper surface of the deck 22 includes a foot restsurface 26 which is configured to support a foot or the feet of a user.The scooter 10 includes at least one front wheel 28 and at least onerear swivel caster wheel 29 supported by the scooter body 20. Theillustrated scooter 10 includes a front wheel 28 and a rear wheel 29spaced apart from one another with the deck 22 extending therebetween.Preferably, the wheels 28, 29 are aligned in the same plane when thewheels 28, 29 are in a neutral position, as illustrated, and located atopposite ends of the deck 22. As illustrated, a preferred embodiment ofthe scooter 10 also includes a head tube 30 which rotatably supports thehandlebar assembly 24 so that the handlebar assembly 24 can rotatewithin the head tube 30. The front wheel 28 is operatively coupled tothe handlebar assembly 24 so that a user can steer the front wheel 28 bymoving the handlebar assembly 24. Preferably, the height of thehandlebar assembly 24 can be adjusted by sliding telescoping portions ofthe handlebar assembly 24 relative to one another in a direction towardor away from the deck 22. The scooter body 20 includes a supportassembly 32 between the head tube 30 and the deck 22. A pivotingmechanism (not shown) may be configured to allow the support assembly 32and head tube 30 to rotate with respect to the scooter body 20. In oneembodiment, the scooter 10 is a folding scooter with the pivotingmechanism located at the support assembly 32, head tube 30 or thehandlebar assembly 24.

FIG. 2 shows the scooter body 20 and wheels 28, 29 depicted in FIG. 1.The scooter body 20 includes an angled rear portion 34 supporting therear swivel caster wheel 29. As illustrated, the angled rear portion 34may be an integrated portion of deck 22 configured so that an angle isformed between the plane of the deck 22 and the plane of the angled rearportion 34. Preferably, the angle is an acute angle. In an alternateembodiment, the angled rear portion 34 may be a separate componentcoupled to the body 20 or deck 22 of the scooter so that an angle isformed with the plane of the deck 22. The angled rear portion 34includes a bottom surface which supports a swivel caster wheel assembly36. The wheel assembly 36 includes the rear swivel caster wheel 29. Therear swivel wheel 29 has a pivot or swivel axis about which it can pivotor swivel. In this embodiment, mounting the rear swivel caster wheel 29and swivel caster wheel assembly 36 to the bottom surface of the angledrear portion 34 causes an inclination of the pivot axis of the swivelcaster wheel assembly 36 with respect to the top surface of the deck 22.The pivot axis can be aligned so that it passes through the axis of therear wheel axle, or the pivot axis can be forward of the axis of therear wheel. In other embodiments, the angle between the plane of thedeck 22 and the plane of the angled rear portion 34 is approximately 45degrees, while in other embodiments this angle is greater than about 45degrees. Preferably, the angle between the deck plane and the rearportion plane is less than about 45 degrees and greater than 1 degree.In some embodiments, the angle is less than about 30 degrees and greaterthan about 10 degrees.

The plane of the angled rear portion 34 also forms an angle with theplane of the riding surface and/or the plane that passes through theaxles of the wheels 28 and 29. For example, the angle between the planeof the angled rear portion 34 and the plane of the riding surface ispreferably an acute angle that is less than about 45 degrees. In someembodiments, this angle is less than about 30 degrees and greater thanabout 10 degrees. In other embodiments, the angle between the plane ofthe rear portion 34 and the plane passing through the axles of thewheels 28 and 29 is an acute angle and less than about 45 degrees. Inother embodiments, this angle is less than about 30 degrees and greaterthan about 10 degrees. In other embodiments, the surfaces of the angledrear portion 34 are curved. Preferably, the inclined pivot axis of therear swivel wheel 29 is inclined with respect to and forms an angle withplane of the riding surface, the plane of the deck 26 and the plane thatpasses through the axes of the axles of the wheels 29 and 28.Preferably, this angle between the inclined pivot axis and these planesis greater than about 45 degrees and in some embodiments can be betweenabout 60 degrees and about 80 degrees.

The inclined pivot axis of the rear swivel caster wheel 29 allows theuser to cause pivoting of the rear swivel caster wheel 29 by applying aforce with a sideways component or an eccentric force to substantiallyone side of the rear portion of the foot rest surface 26 substantiallyabove the rear swivel caster wheel 29. Pivot rotation of the rear swivelcaster wheel assembly 36 allows the rear portion of the scooter 10 totravel in a substantially different direction than the general directionof the travel of the front portion of the scooter 10, rather than therear wheel 29 necessarily substantially tracking the path of the frontwheel 28. This allows the user to cause the rear portion of the scooter10 to travel in a substantially side-to-side or sideways motion whilethe front of the scooter 10 is travelling in a linear forward directionfollowing the rotation of the front wheel 28. This also allows the userto perform various stunts or tricks, including simulating a vehicularmotion referred to as “drifting”, wherein while performing a turn, therotational directions of the front wheel and rear swivel caster wheelare pointing in the opposite direction to the direction of the turn.

FIG. 3 shows the angled rear portion 34 of the scooter body 20 and rearswivel caster wheel 29 depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The swivel casterwheel assembly 36 is supported by or mounted to the bottom surface ofthe angled rear portion 34. The swivel caster wheel assembly 36comprises a fork assembly 40. In the illustrated embodiment, the scooterbody 20 includes an angled rear portion 34 and the angled rear portionextends above the deck 22 so that the top surface of the angled rearportion is inclined with respect to the top surface of the deck 22. Thisarrangement allows the scooter body and deck 22 and foot platform to bepositioned at a low elevation relative to the riding surface and createsa low center of gravity for the user and scooter combination, providinggreater stability and increasing turning ability for the user. Asdescribed above, the illustrated rear angled portion 34 can be aseparate component that is coupled to the deck 22 by a suitablearrangement, such as fasteners 41. Preferably, the deck 22 issubstantially planar and the rear angled portion 34 is angled upwardlyrelative to the deck 22. In one embodiment, an attachment portion (notvisible) of the rear angled portion 34 is received within an internalspace of the deck and can be angled with respect to the remainder of therear angled portion 34.

In another embodiment, the deck 22 of the scooter 10 is configured to besubstantially flat with no inclination at the rear of the deck. The rearangled portion 34 can extend in a direction substantially parallel tothe deck 22 so that it is not inclined relative to the deck. In such anembodiment, the caster wheel assembly 36 can be configured to include aninclined portion or angled feature that causes the inclined pivot axisof the rear swivel wheels 29 to be inclined relative to the ridingsurface, the plane of the deck 22 and/or the plane passing through theaxes of the wheel axles.

In another embodiment, the rear angled portion 34 extends below theplane of the deck 22 and said rear angled portion 34 creates a declinedangle with respect to the bottom surface of the scooter body 20 or thedeck 22. This embodiment positions the deck 22 and foot platform at ahigher elevation relative to the ground and creates a higher center ofgravity for the user and scooter combination. This embodiment alsoprovides a substantially flat deck 22 and foot platform for the user andallows the user to place one or both of the user's feet directly abovethe rear caster wheel to apply sideways or eccentric forces to cause thecaster assembly to pivot about the pivot axis. The elevated center ofgravity in combination with the substantially flat deck 22 and footplatform allows the user to apply greater eccentric force upon the rearcaster wheel to cause the caster wheel assembly to pivot about the pivotaxis 44.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, an embodiment of swivel caster wheelassembly 36 is shown, including centering spring assembly 38 coupled tothe fork assembly 40. Rear swivel caster wheel 29 is coupled to the forkassembly 40 for rotation about the wheel rotation axis 42, such as on aconventional axle and bearing assembly. Conventional bearings and otherhardware are not shown in this figure. Caster wheel assembly 36 may besecured or bolted to the scooter at an angled surface such as the angledrear portion 34 to permit pivoting of rear swivel caster wheel 29 aboutpivot axis 44, which when assembled to the scooter 10 preferably isoriented at an angle relative to a vertical direction. The centeringspring assembly 38 may comprise a bearing assembly which can include aninner race and an outer race, where the outer race is mounted in afriction fit opening in a bearing ring of the fork shell assembly 40 forrotation about pivot axis 44, and the inner race is mounted to rotaterelative to the outer race about the pivot axis 44.

The centering spring assembly 38 may further comprise a helical torsionspring 54 mounted to the outer race of the bearing assembly such thatrotation of the outer race about the pivot axis 44 (along with the forkshell assembly 40) results in rotation of the helical torsion spring 54about the pivot axis 44. The coil torsion spring 54 may include a firstspring arm 56 and a second spring arm 58 extending outwardly from thecenter of coil torsion spring 54. One embodiment of the caster wheelassembly 36 includes a first spring post 48 and a second spring post 50configured to abut first spring arm 56 and second spring arm 58,respectively, such that rotation of the fork shell assembly 40 aboutpivot axis 44 causes a twisting force to be applied to the helicaltorsion spring 54 when first spring arm 56 abuts first spring post 48and restricts rotational movement of the first spring arm in onerotational direction, or second spring arm 58 abuts second spring post50 and restricts rotational movement of the second spring arm in theother rotational direction. When all rotational force is removed fromfork shell assembly 40, helical torsion spring 54 returns to its neutralposition causing fork shell assembly 40 and thus swivel caster wheelassembly 36 to return to its neutral steering position.

Another embodiment of the centering spring assembly 38 may comprise onespring post, with the first spring arm 56 and second spring arm 58extending from the center of helical torsion spring 54 in substantiallya similar direction abutting the spring post on each side of said springpost. When a rotational force is applied to fork shell assembly 40 inone direction, first spring arm 56 abuts a first side of the spring postrestricting rotational movement of the first spring arm and therotational force creates a bending moment to helical torsion spring suchthat first spring arm 56 and second spring arm 58 are moved apart. Thisaction is repeated for the second spring arm 58 and second side of thespring post when the rotational force is applied to the fork shellassembly in the other direction. When all rotational force is removedfrom fork shell assembly 40, helical torsion spring 54 returns to itsneutral position causing fork shell assembly 40 and thus swivel casterwheel assembly 36 to return to its neutral steering position. It isunderstood that further embodiments are possible and consideredincorporating similar elements to achieve the same result to cause theswivel caster wheel assembly to be centered when pivot rotational forcesapplied to the fork shell assembly can be overcome or are removedcompletely.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a close up side view of a rear swivel casterwheel 29 with rear caster brake 60 is illustrated in an upside-downorientation. The rear caster brake 60 is rotatably or pivotably coupledto the rear of scooter body 20. In one embodiment the rear caster brake60 is pivotably coupled to the angled rear portion 34 as depicted inFIG. 6. In another embodiment the rear caster brake 60 includes abraking surface 62 to apply frictional braking force upon the outercircumference of the rear swivel caster wheel 29. The rear portion ofthe deck 22 of the scooter body 20 may comprise a void extending fromthe top of deck 22 through the bottom surface of scooter body 20 andconfigured to have substantially the same shape and size as the rearcaster brake 60 or a user actuator portion of the rear caster brake 60.In another embodiment, the rear caster brake 60 is pivotably coupled tothe rear end of scooter body 20. In some embodiments, the rear casterbrake 60 is positioned above the rear swivel caster wheel 29 such thatthe top surface of the rear caster brake 60 (or user actuator portion)is available to the foot of the user in a standing position above thedeck.

In one embodiment, the rear caster brake 60 comprises a braking surface62 which may be configured with a concave curvature 64 such that thedegree of concave curvature is greater than or at least equal to thecurvature of the outer circumference surface of the rear wheel to allowfor maximum frictional contact between the braking surface 62 and therear wheel. A biasing mechanism such as a spring or elastic member isincluded to bias the rear caster brake 60 toward a first position inwhich the braking surface is not in frictional contact with the outercircumference surface of the rear swivel caster wheel 29. The rearcaster brake 60 is configured such that a downward force applied by thefoot of a user causes the rear caster brake 60 to move from the firstposition to a second position in which the braking surface is infrictional contact with the outer circumference surface of the rearswivel caster wheel 29. The frictional contact applied by the bottomsurface of the rear caster brake 60 causes the rear caster wheel 29 toslow in rotation, causing the scooter 10 to slow and/or come to a stop.Advantageously, the material of the frictional braking surface 62 can beselected to exhibit desirable frictional properties or wear properties,for example. Thus, the material of the frictional braking surface 62 canbe optimized relative to the material used for the rear caster brake 60,if desired.

In the illustrated arrangement, the frictional braking surface 62 isdirectly affixed to the rear caster brake 60; however, in otherarrangements, the frictional braking surface 62 could be indirectly orotherwise coupled (e.g., through a linkage arrangement) to the rearcaster brake 60. For example, in such an arrangement, the frictionalbraking surface 62 could rotate about the pivot axis 44 along with therear caster wheel 29 and could be actuated by a stationary actuatorportion of the brake 60, which is configured to actuate the frictionalbraking surface 62 in multiple positions of the wheel 29, including allpossible positions or a subset of all possible positions, such as inpositions in which the wheel 29 is trailing or positioned behind thepivot axis 44. Alternatively, the frictional braking surface 62 and theactuator portion could rotate about the pivot axis 44 along with therear caster wheel 29 and the actuator portion could be configured toremain accessible to the user in multiple positions of the wheel 29,including all possible positions or a subset of all possible positions,such as in positions in which the wheel 29 is trailing or positionedbehind the pivot axis 44. In such an arrangement, if provided, the voidcan be larger than the actuator portion to permit rotational movement ofthe actuator portion throughout a desired range of motion of the rearwheel 29 about the pivot axis 44. Further, the void, acting on theactuator portion, could function as a limit stop arrangement to definemaximum rotational positions of the rear wheel 29 about the pivot axis44.

FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of a scooter and rear caster brake. In apreferred embodiment, the rear caster brake 60 may be configured suchthat the braking surface 62 is substantially greater in width than thewidth of rear caster wheel 29. This configuration allows the user toapply the rear caster brake while the rear caster assembly is pointed ina non-neutral steering direction. In a preferred embodiment, the rearcaster brake 60 comprises a braking surface 62 with a concavely curvedsurface 64, where the concave curvature follows a laterally curved pathsuch that the lateral curve of the concave curvature surface 64substantially follows the general travel of the outer circumference ofthe rear caster wheel 29 as it pivots about the pivot axis 44. Thus, thelaterally curved path of the concavely curved surface 64 defines aradius about the pivot axis 44 of the rear caster wheel 29. Thisconfiguration allows the user to apply the rear caster brake 60 whilethe rear caster wheel 29 is pointed in a generally non-neutral steeringposition to apply an effective and safe frictional braking force on therear caster wheel 29. In another embodiment, the braking surface 62consists of a durable material such as a hard plastic, metal, or metalalloy. In another embodiment, the braking surface 62 is removable andreplaceable by the user.

FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a rear caster or swivel brakingassembly including a brake 60. The braking assembly includes a brakingsurface 62 configured to contact a rear swivel wheel and apply a brakingforce to the wheel. The braking surface 62 includes a concave curvature64 that can generally correspond to the outer circumferential surface ofthe rear swivel wheel 29, as described above. The curvature 64 allowsfor more contact area between the braking surface 62 and the wheel 29.The braking surface 62 can be coupled to or supported by the brake 60.The brake 60 can include a cut-out or recess portion configured toreceive at least a portion of the braking surface 62. The brake 60 alsoincludes an attachment portion 72 that is configured to be coupled to orsupported by the body 20, deck 22, or the angled rear portion 34.Preferably, the attachment portion 72 is rotatably supported by the body20, deck 22, and/or the angled rear portion 34. Preferably, the brakingassembly is biased away from a position in which the braking surface 62contacts the rear wheel 29.

The braking assembly can also include an actuation portion 70 that iscoupled to the swivel brake 60. The actuation portion 70 can beconfigured to be accessible to the foot of a user such that a user canengage the brake 60. Preferably, the actuation portion extends upwardfrom the brake 60 and toward a user riding the vehicle. The actuationportion 70 can extend through a void or opening in the body 20, deck 22,and/or the angled rear portion 34 so as to be accessible to the foot ofa user.

FIG. 9 illustrates the bottom view of an embodiment of a braking surface62 configured to frictionally contact a rear swivel wheel 29. Thebraking surface 62 includes a concave curvature or cut-out 64, asdiscussed above. As illustrated, the concave curvature or cut-out 64 hasa curved or radial path. Preferably, the curved path of the concavecut-out 64 corresponds to the path of the rear wheel 29 as the rearwheel 29 swivels or rotates about its swivel axis. This curved path ofthe cut-out 64 causes the portion of the wheel 29 in contact with thebraking surface 62 to remain within the concave cut out or curvature 64.The curved path also allows for more contact area between the swivelwheel 29 and the braking surface 62, even when the rear wheel 29 isswiveling from side to side. The braking surface 62 can be coupled tothe brake body 60 or braking assembly by attachment means such asscrews, pins, clips or bolts. Preferably, the braking surface 62 isremovable from the brake 60 and can be replaced by a user when worn.

FIG. 10 depicts an alternate embodiment of the caster scooter 10. Theillustrated embodiment includes a scooter body 20, which includes a deck22 and a handlebar assembly 24. The scooter 10 includes at least onerear swivel caster wheel 29 supported by the scooter body 20, asdescribed above with respect to any of the previously describedembodiments. The scooter 10 also includes at least one front swivelcaster wheel assembly 69 including at least one front swivel casterwheel 63 supported by the head tube 30 and operably coupled to thehandlebar assembly 24. The front swivel caster wheel 63 rotates about aswivel axis. The illustrated scooter 10 includes a front wheel 63 and arear wheel 29 spaced apart from one another with the deck 22 extendingtherebetween. Preferably, the wheels 63, 29 are aligned in the sameplane when the wheels 63, 29 are in a neutral steering position, asillustrated, and located at opposite ends of the deck 22. The scooterbody 20 includes a support assembly 32 between the head tube 30 and thedeck 22. A pivoting mechanism (not shown) may be configured to allow thesupport assembly 32 and head tube 30 to rotate with respect to thescooter body 20. As illustrated, a preferred embodiment of the scooter10 also includes a head tube 30 which rotatably supports the handlebarassembly 24 so that the handlebar assembly 24 can rotate or swivelwithin the head tube 30.

In one preferred embodiment, the front swivel caster wheel assembly 69and front swivel caster wheel 63 may rotate freely independently of thehandlebar assembly 24. In another preferred embodiment, the rotation ofthe front swivel caster assembly 69 and the front swivel caster wheel 63may be limited in rotation to a predefined range of motion in relationto the handlebar assembly 24 to allow the user some control as to thegeneral direction of rotation of the front swivel caster wheel 63. Inanother preferred embodiment, the front swivel caster wheel assembly 69may comprise a biasing member (such as helical torsion spring 54) torotationally bias the front swivel caster wheel assembly to its neutralsteering position. In another preferred embodiment, the front swivelcaster wheel assembly 69 and the front swivel caster wheel 63 may besupported by the scooter body 20 such that the at least one front wheeland at least one rear wheel are spaced apart from one another with thedeck 22 extending therebetween. This embodiment may comprise a handlebarassembly 24 supported by the scooter body 20 providing a means forstability and balance to the user while riding the scooter. Thehandlebar assembly may also be useful to the user to exert eccentricside-to-side forces upon the at least one front swivel caster wheel 63to cause the front swivel caster wheel to rotate about its pivot axis.

Although this invention has been disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the present invention extends beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodimentsand/or uses of the invention and obvious modifications and equivalentsthereof. In particular, while the present systems and methods have beendescribed in the context of particularly preferred embodiments, theskilled artisan will appreciate, in view of the present disclosure, thatcertain advantages, features and aspects of the systems and methods maybe realized in a variety of other applications, many of which have beennoted above. Additionally, it is contemplated that various aspects andfeatures of the invention described can be practiced separately,combined together, or substituted for one another, and that a variety ofcombination and subcombinations of the features and aspects can be madeand still fall within the scope of the invention. Thus, it is intendedthat the scope of the invention herein disclosed should not be limitedby the particular embodiments described above, but should be determinedonly by a fair reading of the claims that follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A kick scooter comprising: a body comprising adeck and a handlebar assembly, the deck having a substantially planartop surface configured to support a user and a longitudinal axisextending lengthwise through the deck, the handlebar assembly beingrotatable relative to the deck; a single front wheel supported by thehandlebar assembly and rotatable relative to the deck, the front wheelbeing steerable by the handlebar assembly and the front wheel having afront neutral position in which it points forward and away from thedeck, the front wheel being aligned with the longitudinal axis when inthe front neutral position; an angled rear portion supported by thebody; a single rear swivel wheel assembly comprising: an attachmentportion coupled to the angled rear portion; a single rear wheelrotatable about a wheel axis; a support portion coupled to theattachment portion and configured to support the rear wheel, the supportportion being configured to allow free pivoting of the rear wheelrelative to the angled rear portion and about a swivel axis; wherein theangled rear portion is inclined with respect to the top surface of thedeck and extends upward at an angle relative to the top surface of thedeck, the angled rear portion extending upward higher than the topsurface of the deck, and the swivel axis is inclined with respect to thetop surface of the deck in a forward direction, the angled rear portiondefining a foot rest surface that is positioned over top of the singlerear swivel wheel assembly; wherein the rear wheel has a rear neutralposition in which it is aligned with the longitudinal axis, the frontwheel being aligned with the rear wheel when the rear wheel is in therear neutral position and the front wheel is in the front neutralposition.
 2. The kick scooter of claim 1, wherein the angled rearportion is substantially planar and the angle between the angled rearportion and the plane corresponding to the top surface is greater than10 degrees and less than 30 degrees.
 3. The kick scooter of claim 1,further comprising a brake assembly configured to selectively apply abraking force to the rear wheel.
 4. The kick scooter vehicle of claim 3,wherein the brake assembly comprises: a brake body comprising: anattachment portion configured to be supported by the body or angled rearportion; an actuator portion that is accessible to the foot of a user; abraking surface configured to apply a frictional braking force when incontact with the rear wheel; wherein the brake assembly has an engagedposition in which the braking surface is in contact with the rear wheel;wherein the brake assembly is movable to the engaged position inresponse to the user acting upon the actuator portion.
 5. The kickscooter of claim 4, wherein the brake body is configured to be rotatablysupported by the body.
 6. The kick scooter of claim 4, wherein the brakeassembly is biased away from the engaged position.
 7. The kick scooterof claim 4, wherein the actuator portion passes through a void in thedeck or angled rear portion.
 8. The kick scooter of claim 4, wherein thebraking surface is replaceable by the user.
 9. A kick scootercomprising: a body having a deck configured to support a user, the bodyalso comprising an inclined portion, the deck having a longitudinalplane extending vertically along the length of the deck and through thecenter of the deck; a single front wheel supported by the body androtatable relative to the body, the single front wheel having a frontneutral position in which it is aligned with the longitudinal plane; ahandlebar assembly supported by the body and rotatable relative to thebody, the front wheel being steerable by rotation of the handlebarassembly; a single rear swivel wheel assembly supported by the inclinedportion; the rear swivel wheel assembly comprising a single rear wheelconfigured to pivot unrestricted about a swivel axis that is inclined ina forward direction, the rear wheel having a rear neutral position inwhich it is aligned with the longitudinal plane; a single brake assemblycomprising: an attachment portion configured to be supported by thebody; an actuator portion that is accessible to the foot of the user; abraking surface supported by the brake assembly and configured to applyfrictional braking force to the rear wheel when in contact with the rearwheel at various degrees of rotation of the rear wheel about the swivelaxis; wherein the brake assembly has an engaged position in which thebraking surface is in contact with the rear wheel; wherein the brakeassembly is movable to the engaged position in response to the useracting upon the actuator portion.
 10. The kick scooter of claim 9,wherein the brake assembly is biased away from the engaged position. 11.The kick scooter of claim 9, wherein the attachment portion is rotatablysupported by the body.
 12. The kick scooter of claim 9, wherein thebraking surface includes a concave curvature having a curved path, thecurved path corresponding to the path of the rear wheel as it pivotsabout the swivel axis.
 13. The kick scooter of claim 9, wherein thebraking surface is removable and replaceable.
 14. The kick scooter ofclaim 9, wherein the actuator portion of the brake assembly extendsupward from the brake assembly and toward a user riding the vehicle. 15.The kick scooter of claim 9, wherein the front wheel is configured topivot about a front swivel axis.
 16. The kick scooter of claim 15,wherein the front wheel includes a biasing member configured torotationally bias the front wheel toward the front neutral position. 17.The kick scooter of claim 9, wherein the rear swivel wheel assemblyincludes a biasing member configured to rotationally bias the rear wheeltoward the rear neutral position.
 18. A kick scooter comprising: a bodycomprising a deck and a handlebar assembly, the deck having asubstantially planar top surface configured to support a user and avertical plane extending lengthwise through the deck, the handlebarassembly being rotatable relative to the deck; a single front wheelsupported by the handlebar assembly and pivotable relative to the deck,the front wheel being steerable by the handlebar assembly and the frontwheel having a front neutral position in which it points forward and isaligned with the vertical plane; a rear portion supported by the body; asingle rear swivel wheel assembly comprising: an attachment portioncoupled to the rear portion; a rear wheel rotatable about a wheel axis;a support portion coupled to the attachment portion and configured tosupport the rear wheel, the support portion being configured to allowfree pivoting of the rear wheel relative to the rear portion and about aswivel axis that is inclined in a forward direction; wherein the rearwheel has a rear neutral position in which it is aligned with thevertical plane, the rear wheel being aligned with the front wheel whenthe rear wheel is in the rear neutral position and the front wheel is inthe front neutral position and wherein the rear portion defines a footrest surface that is positioned over top of the single rear swivel wheelassembly.
 19. The kick scooter of claim 18, further comprising a brakeassembly, the brake assembly comprising: a brake body comprising: anattachment portion configured to be supported by the body or rearportion; an actuator portion that is accessible to the foot of a user; abraking surface configured to apply a frictional braking force when incontact with the rear wheel; wherein the brake assembly has an engagedposition in which the braking surface is in contact with the rear wheel;wherein the brake assembly is movable to the engaged position inresponse to the user acting upon the actuator portion.